The kernel packages contain the Linux kernel, the core of any Linuxoperating system.

This update fixes the following security issues:

* a flaw was found in the Realtek r8169 Ethernet driver in the Linuxkernel. pci_unmap_single() presented a memory leak that could lead to IOMMUspace exhaustion and a system crash. An attacker on the local network couldtrigger this flaw by using jumbo frames for large amounts of networktraffic. (CVE-2009-3613, Important)

* NULL pointer dereference flaws were found in the r128 driver in the Linuxkernel. Checks to test if the Concurrent Command Engine state wasinitialized were missing in private IOCTL functions. An attacker could usethese flaws to cause a local denial of service or escalate theirprivileges. (CVE-2009-3620, Important)

* an information leak was found in the Linux kernel. On AMD64 systems,32-bit processes could access and read certain 64-bit registers bytemporarily switching themselves to 64-bit mode. (CVE-2009-2910, Moderate)

* the unix_stream_connect() function in the Linux kernel did not check if aUNIX domain socket was in the shutdown state. This could lead to adeadlock. A local, unprivileged user could use this flaw to cause a denialof service. (CVE-2009-3621, Moderate)

Users should upgrade to these updated packages, which contain backportedpatches to correct these issues. The system must be rebooted for thisupdate to take effect.

Solution:Please note that this update is available viaRed Hat Network. To use Red Hat Network, launch the RedHat Update Agent with the following command: up2date